Nilufer and Alpel's sailing adventures in the Eastern Caribbean. Stories of a lifestyle on a 38 ft Lagoon catamaran, covering from Portorico to Grenada, and from 2011 to date, with pictures.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Trick Against the Roll from Swells

The recent rolling due to southerly swells really got to us while moored at the bay. Wind is always from the east, which is quite welcome in the heat, but the swell that comes from the south around the corner was rolling us sideways. The poor mono-hulls are always much worse hit than us, they roll like pendulums, but nevertheless, we don’t like the on-and-off jerking, sometimes unpredictable.
The remedy for it is tying the boat to the ball from bow and stern, keeping it at the port side instead of the front. Wind pushes the bow towards the waves pivoting from the side, so that the rolls become gentle ducking rather than swinging violently.
We had seen one mono-hull in Marigot, St Martin using this technique, and realized its merits, but did not have the compulsion to practice it until a few days back. The first time we attempted it there was no wind, so changing the configuration of the lines to the moor did not make any difference in our position. It was the calmest night, we could not figure out the reason for the swells. Could be the tide coming in or going out according to the time of the day. Al was praying for some wind, but at night there were no trades of course. Anyway, nothing changed, so we went back to the original scheme.
Two days ago however, the wind started to blow quite strongly in the morning, so we decided to give it another go. When there is wind, it is not easy to mess with the lines. I jumped into the water and practically threaded the eye, which made it easier for Al to secure the lines. Al made a third line in the middle, tied to the middle cleat. Now our bow is always facing south, while the others lie facing east. Works like a charm, as long as the trades continue. At night, we become one of the pack when the wind dies down, but no matter, we go to sleep then.

1 comment:

Damp a piece of cloth in a pot of sunflower oil.Tie the cloth with pice of tread on the anchor chain where the tip of the cloth can just touch on the surface of the water.Do not get astonished when you see the swells stays away from your boat.